adds Archives | Page 2 of 3

Chicago 2011: 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition adds exclusivity… for a price

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Convertible, Performance, Mazda

2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition

2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

In the market for a new MX-5 Miata, but want a bit more exclusivity? Check out the 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition, as the new range-topping droptop should fit the bill perfectly.

Based off of a fully-loaded power retractable hard top Grand Touring model and limited to just 750 units by Mazda, the Special Edition is most easily spotted by its Sparkling Black Mica or Dolphin Gray Mica exterior paint and bright-finish 17-inch alloy wheels. The interior sports gray upholstery, chrome accents and aluminum pedals (6MT only). Unique underpinnings include the MX-5’s standard Suspension Package with Bilstein shocks, a limited-slip differential and sport-tuned dampers. Motivating the 2,593-pound two-seater is Mazda’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 167 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque (158 horsepower with the 2,619-pound 6AT).

If the specs catch your fancy, be prepared to shell out $30,925 for the manual transmission model or $31,525 for the six-speed automatic.

Gallery: 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition: Chicago 2011

2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition

Chicago 2011: 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition adds exclusivity… for a price originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Chicago 2011: 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition adds exclusivity… for a price”

Chicago 2011: Shelby adds new colors, convertible option to the GT350 for 2012

Filed under: Aftermarket, Chicago Auto Show, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Ford

2012 Shelby GT350 Convertible

2012 Shelby GT350 Convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 Shelby GT350 followed nearly the same philosophy as the Ford Model T. You could get it in any color you want as long as it was white with blue stripes. That’s changing for 2012, as Shelby will also be offering the GT350 in Race Red and Kona Blue. A convertible option will be available, as well. In fact, this is the first time Shelby has built a drop-top GT350 since 1970.

The 2012 GT350 will offer up identical performance as the 2011 model, although one could argue that it didn’t need an upgrade in the first place. Customers can choose between the 430-horsepower base model or opt for either 525- or 624-horsepower versions. Additional upgrades include a full body kit, Cragar wheels, larger brakes, sport suspension and more. The convertible also comes with the option of a light bar. You can read full details about the 2012 Shelby GT350 after the jump, and check out our live photos from the show floor in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2012 Shelby GT350 Convertible

2012 Shelby GT350 Convertible

Gallery: 2012 Shelby GT350

2012 Shelby GT350

[Source: Shelby]

Continue reading Chicago 2011: Shelby adds new colors, convertible option to the GT350 for 2012

Chicago 2011: Shelby adds new colors, convertible option to the GT350 for 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Chicago 2011: Shelby adds new colors, convertible option to the GT350 for 2012”

Harley-Davidson adds Sportster 1200 Custom, introduces H-D1 Factory Customization

Filed under: Motorcycle

Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom

Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom – Click above for high-res image gallery

Harley-Davidson has a knack for creating new models based on existing platforms by swapping out a matching set of components available from its own Parts and Accessories catalog. The tactic has worked well for years, but in today’s trying marketplace, the Bar-and-Shield brand has decided to let its customers do the picking before the motorcycle is even delivered.

Naturally, there are the requisite paint choices, which include seven solid colors, five two-tone options and two sets of custom graphics, and customers can also specificy if they want chrome or black engine covers and wheels in any of four options. That’ll keep the style-conscious buyer happy, but there’s plenty more customization where that came from.

H-D will allow the buyer to tailor the riding position of the 1200 Custom by offering three different handlebar options (standard Pull Back bars or optional Drag and Mini Ape bars) and a choice of mid-mount or forward controls. Finally, the buyer can switch from a two-up saddle to a solo seat, should they so desire.

The basic 1200 Custom platform comes with chunky Michelin Scorcher tires front and rear on 16-inch wheels, which necessitated wide-spaced front forks, and a 4.5-gallon tank. We’re pleased to see that H-D didn’t neuter the handling of the 1200 Custom by angling for an ever-lower seat height (28.5-inches unladed, 26.6 laden).

Also, though rear suspension travel is just 2.12 inches, there’s a reasonable 4.4 inches of ground clearance, which means normal riding won’t mean scraping hard parts on the asphalt. Lean angles are 26.2 degrees on the left and 28.3 on the right, for what it’s worth.

Check out the high-res pics in our image gallery below, and hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom

Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom

[Source: Harley-Davidson]

Continue reading Harley-Davidson adds Sportster 1200 Custom, introduces H-D1 Factory Customization

Harley-Davidson adds Sportster 1200 Custom, introduces H-D1 Factory Customization originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Harley-Davidson adds Sportster 1200 Custom, introduces H-D1 Factory Customization”

Subaru adds WRX-powered Forester S-Edition for Australia

Filed under: Crossover, Subaru, Australia

2011 Subaru Forester S-Edition

2011 Subaru Forester S-Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Before your heart goes all aflutter at the thought of a factory Subaru Forester XTI, cool your jets a bit. It’s true that Subaru Australia has just pulled the sheets off of a more powerful Forester complete with nearly 260 horsepower and 256 pound-feet of torque, and yes, the high-rider packs a new five-speed automatic to replace the archaic four-speed slusher found on most Forester models. Drivers can even control shifts via a pair of paddles should the mood strike them. But this isn’t some slammed hardcore grocery getter. Instead, the Forester S-Edition, as it’s called, wears a slightly revised suspension cooked up from the minds at STI along with a few subtle aero tweaks outside.

Jump indoors and those from down under will enjoy a cabin trimmed in Alcantara bits, navigation and a rear view camera, all for a just a bit more than what you’d typically pay for a Forester XT in those parts.

Will we be getting anything similar? It certainly wouldn’t hurt our feelings, but we’d be surprised if Subaru suddenly decided to lay another model on top of its range-capping XT here in the land of the free. We’ve got our digits crossed for that five-speed transmission, though. Hit the jump for the press release.

Gallery: 2011 Subaru Forester S-Edition

2011 Subaru Forester S-Edition

[Source: Subaru Australia]

Continue reading Subaru adds WRX-powered Forester S-Edition for Australia

Subaru adds WRX-powered Forester S-Edition for Australia originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Subaru adds WRX-powered Forester S-Edition for Australia”

Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius family adds a V for volume

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Crossover, Hatchback, Toyota

2012 Toyota Prius V – Click above for the high-res image gallery

Nearly one million Prius Hybrids have been sold in the U.S. over the past decade, and with the third generation model sitting in every other politician and Hollywood starlet’s garage, its appeal is at an all-time high. In Toyota’s estimation it’s a great time for the Prius brand to expand and kicking things off is a new crossover with the kiddies in mind.

The 2012 Prius V is packing all the hybrid goodness of the standard Prius but with 34.3 cubic feet of space for your stuff, 38 inches of rear leg room and the fuel economy most vehicles can only dream of. The V is five inches longer and an inch wider than the O.G. Prius with the same 1.8-liter four cylinder hybrid power source, so it won’t match little brother’s 50 miles per gallon efficiency. Sill, the roomy MPV will net 42 miles per gallon in the city and an also lofty 38 mpg on the highway, or better than most anything on the road. The efficiency quotient is helped with a .29 drag coefficient and creative engineering feats like a resin panoramic moonroof that helps keep weight in check.

Technology will likely be improved as well, typified by Toyota’s Entune infotainment system that combines improved navigation, a rich interface, Bluetooth, and XM Satellite Radio. The Prius V hits dealer showrooms this summer but before you put down a deposit, hit the jump for the details and check the live gallery below.

Gallery: 2012 Toyota Prius V: Detroit 2011

2012 Toyota Prius V

Gallery: 2012 Toyota Prius V

2012 Toyota Prius V

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius family adds a V for volume

Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius family adds a V for volume originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius family adds a V for volume”

LA 2010: Nissan GT-R adds 45 HP for 2012, hits 60 under 3 seconds *Update

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Nissan

2012 Nissan GT-R

2012 Nissan GT-R – Click above for high-res image gallery

Nissan is making quite a splash at the 2010 LA Auto Show. Despite the presence of the bat-guano-crazy Murano CrossCabriolet and rather attractive Ellure Concept, perhaps the most highly anticipated machine from the Japanese automaker is the 2012 GT-R. Here are the most important pieces of information to chew on: 530 horsepower and 488 pound-feet of torque.

That means Godzilla Part II (Tokyo Strikes Back!) offers up 45 more raging stallions than the first edition, which Nissan claims is enough to push its all-wheel-drive super coupe to 60 miles per hour in under three seconds(!). Those upgraded figures come courtesy of increased boost from the twin turbos packed into the six combustion chambers along with larger inlet and exhaust pipes.

Body modifications include an enlarged front fascia and grille openings along with double rectifier fins and LED running lights. These updates are said to allow for more air to enter the engine compartment and sweep across front brakes for cooling. Out back, Nissan says its redesigned rear fascia lowers the car’s center of gravity.

Aerodynamic improvements such as the aforementioned front fascia, rear diffuser and underbody trays equal a coefficient of drag that falls to just 0.26. All models get new and improved Rays wheels, and a new Black Edition sees darkened six-spoke affairs along with red-trimmed Recaro seats that should look pretty darn nice with the new across-the-range carbon interior highlights.

Colors include Solid Red, Gun Metallic, Pearl White and a limited production four-stage metallic Super Silver, which join two new shades for the new year: Deep Blue Pearl (pictured) and Jet Black. Full details can be found in the press release after the jump, but what you really want to see are the high-res images in our galleries below. Enjoy!

*Update: Nissan reports the starting MSRPs for the 2012 Nissan GT-R are $89,950 USD and $95,100 USD for the Premium and Black Edition respectively.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2012 Nissan GT-R

2012 Nissan GT-R

Gallery: 2012 Nissan GT-R

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading LA 2010: Nissan GT-R adds 45 HP for 2012, hits 60 under 3 seconds *Update

LA 2010: Nissan GT-R adds 45 HP for 2012, hits 60 under 3 seconds *Update originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “LA 2010: Nissan GT-R adds 45 HP for 2012, hits 60 under 3 seconds *Update”

MotoGP 2010: Aragon adds fuel to the comeback fire [SPOILERS]

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Europe, Motorcycle, Racing

Dani Pedrosa MotoGP

With racing action returning to Spain and the top two contenders being Spanish natives, MotoGP Aragon certainly became a highly competitive forum not only for the championship race, but also for bragging rights at stake in front of the home-country fans. For Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, added pressure came in the form of also being caught in a late season battle for the overall championship points lead. However, as the checkered flag waved, neither of the Spanish shoe-ins would emerge victorious.

Coming from pole position for the first time this season, Ducati-mounted Casey Stoner, rode quickly and consistently as he maintained control of the lead from start to finish, earning his first victory this season. The win also neatly advanced him into third place in the overall points standing. Giving chase, Dani Pedrosa struggled from the outset to find good grip, eventually making his way just behind Stoner. Unable to match his pace, Pedrosa would have to settle for second, which is exactly where things got interesting.

Click on the jump to see who was able to knock Lorenzo off the podium for the first time this year, in the process adding fuel to Pedrosa and Repsol Honda’s comeback fire.

[Source: MotoGP.com | Image: Mirco Lazzari/Getty]

Continue reading MotoGP 2010: Aragon adds fuel to the comeback fire [SPOILERS]

MotoGP 2010: Aragon adds fuel to the comeback fire [SPOILERS] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “MotoGP 2010: Aragon adds fuel to the comeback fire [SPOILERS]”

Latest OnStar focuses on infotainment, adds audio Facebook integration, voice texting

Filed under: Safety, Technology, GM

After 15 years of offering comprehensive safety coverage to General Motors vehicle owners, OnStar will be getting a well-deserved boost in functionality to better take on Ford’s Sync and other upstart systems.

New infotainment systems are one of the hottest trends in the automotive marketplace, and GM certainly can’t afford to be behind the curve. Because of this, OnStar will be relaunching its brand image, citing the phrase “responsible connectivity” as the motto for everything moving forward. This means that OnStar won’t just be about safety anymore, though its core values will continue to be improved.

Two of the main infotainment technologies being tested right now are audio Facebook integration and voice text messaging. OnStar recently released a brief bit of information about these two functions, but we were able to attend a presentation to see these new social functions firsthand.

OnStar’s Facebook integration will allow subscribers to post audio status updates directly from the car. These messages will appear as audio updates on the Facebook news feed, and drivers will also have the ability to have their personal news feed read back to them. Even though this technology is still undergoing beta testing, the whole process works relatively seamlessly, though the read-back audio could still benefit from some smoothing-out.

Voice text messaging piggybacks on this same audio technology. Using a Bluetooth-paired phone, drivers can have text messages read to them via the car’s audio system. From there, the driver can press a button on the steering wheel to verbally select one of OnStar’s four pre-set replies – things like, “I received your text message, but am currently driving,” or, “Please call me.”

All of this being tested in correlation with OnStar’s ninth-generation hardware, which improves voice recognition, adds a Bluetooth phonebook, help ‘wizard,’ improved navigation and uses advanced notification services for traffic and weather alerts. This is just the start to what OnStar is working on, though. Stay tuned for a deeper dive into the future technologies OnStar is working to bring to GM vehicles. In the meantime, hit the jump for the official press release.

[Source: OnStar]

Continue reading Latest OnStar focuses on infotainment, adds audio Facebook integration, voice texting

Latest OnStar focuses on infotainment, adds audio Facebook integration, voice texting originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Latest OnStar focuses on infotainment, adds audio Facebook integration, voice texting”

Heico Sportiv adds aggression to new Volvo S60 [w/video]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Videos, Volvo, Luxury

Heico Sportiv reworks the 2011 Volvo S60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

We got a glimpse of it not long ago in renderings, now Heico Sportiv has taken its retuned 2011 Volvo S60 to the track and brought us some souvenirs of the day. Changes are restrained yet aggressive outside, with added front lip components and a rear diffuser that wraps around four tailpipes, in addition to a set of attractive gunmetal Volution wheels.

Under the hood is where the real oomph resides, with power outputs hitting the 297 horsepower and 258 pound-feet in the 2.0T, and 330 hp and 339 lb-ft. in the T6. In the T6 model, that will get you from naught to 62 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds. Follow the jump for all the details and to see it in motion, and have a look at the gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: Heico Sportiv 2011 Volvo S60

[Source: Heico Sportiv]

Continue reading Heico Sportiv adds aggression to new Volvo S60 [w/video]

Heico Sportiv adds aggression to new Volvo S60 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Heico Sportiv adds aggression to new Volvo S60 [w/video]”

Team Need for Speed racing team adds Time Attack 1,100-HP Scion TC

Filed under: Motorsports, Scion, Racing

Chris Rado’s Time Attack Scion AWD – Click above for high-res image gallery

Chris Rado has added another car to Team Need for Speed: an 1,100-horsepower all-wheel drive Scion TC taking aim at the Time Attack series. It’s taken a few years to take the idea from concept to reality, and pictures of the build make it clear why. The zebra-marked tC with gold-plated bulkhead and hood-exit exhaust made its debut last weekend at Road Atlanta, and for some reason – maybe the snowplow? – we wouldn’t be surprised to see it on a mountain in Colorado someday. Have a closer look at it in the gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: Team Need for Speed Time Attack Scion

[Source: Speedhunters via Designlenta]

Team Need for Speed racing team adds Time Attack 1,100-HP Scion TC originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Team Need for Speed racing team adds Time Attack 1,100-HP Scion TC”